Lian looked up at her brother, hesitant. Her lips parted slightly before she found the strength to speak.
"…Brother Wenbo," she began softly.
He paused mid-bite, eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he looked at her.
There was a beat of silence before she spoke again.
"I'm sorry."
The words hung in the air like fog, uncertain and heavy.
Wenbo set his chopsticks down slowly. "For what?"
Her throat tightened. "…For last night."
"So, what I saw yesterday was real?" His voice was calm, too calm. It made her more nervous than if he had yelled.
She lowered her eyes. "Yes. Yifan and I..."
A sudden, sharp slam of his hand against the table cut her off. The plates rattled.
"I don't want to hear it." His jaw was clenched, and his eyes, so often warm and protective, now burned with a cold, stern fire.
Lian flinched. Her heart dropped to her stomach.
Wenbo stood up abruptly, grabbing his keys from the counter. "You knew exactly what kind of people they are, Lian. And you still..." He broke off, shaking his head in disbelief. "I thought we raised you better."
Without giving her a chance to reply, he walked toward the door.
The sound of it slamming shut echoed through the house like a verdict.
Lian remained seated, her hands trembling as they tightened around the untouched cup. Tears welled in her eyes, guilt clawing up her chest until it burned in her throat. She closed her eyes, a single tear slipping down her cheek.
She whispered to the silence, "I didn't mean to fall for him…"
But the silence offered no comfort. It only deepened the ache in her chest. Wiping her tears with the back of her hand, Lian composed herself, slipped on her heels, and stepped out of the house. The door clicked shut behind her.
By the time she arrived at the office, the day had already begun in full swing. An early morning meeting was scheduled with the CEO and key staff members. She attended, posture perfect, eyes focused, but her thoughts were far from the boardroom.
Images of her brother's piercing gaze, the unspoken judgment, and the gentle way Yifan had kissed her forehead the night before tangled inside her mind. She felt trapped, torn between familial expectations and the new emotions that were blooming inside her.
The meeting concluded swiftly, with staff members gathering their files and filing out one after another. Just as she began to close her laptop, a voice cut through her thoughts.
"Did something happen?"
She jumped slightly in her seat, startled. Her eyes met Yufan's.
"Good morning, sir," she greeted quickly, voice a little too formal.
He gave a small nod, his eyes narrowing as he studied her face for a moment longer than necessary, but said nothing. Then he turned and exited the room, leaving her to gather her things with a heart still beating unevenly.
Back in her office, she sank into her chair and sipped iced coffee, hoping the chill would ground her. But her thoughts refused to settle. Her brother. Yifan. Her family's situation. Everything weighed heavily on her shoulders.
---
Meanwhile, at Zhaoyi Holdings…
In the dim-lit private room of Zhaoyi Holdings, Yifan sat in silence, one leg crossed over the other, exuding effortless control. Across from him stood a man clad in a dark suit, his expression unreadable.
"The culprit has been found," the man announced, tossing a photograph onto the table.
Yifan picked it up, eyes scanning the image.
"The one planted inside Li Company?" he asked.
The man nodded. "Yes. And through him, we'll be able to trace the mastermind soon enough."
Yifan leaned back in his seat, fingers drumming lightly on the armrest. "Good work."
The man hesitated, then added, "Based on the information I've uncovered… the trail may lead back to someone close to you. A relative, perhaps. It's just a hunch for now, nothing concrete, but I thought you should know."
There was a pause.
Yifan's jaw clenched slightly, though his face remained composed. "I understand."
The man stood and gave a short bow. "I'll report back when I have more. Goodbye for now, sir."
Yifan waited until the door closed behind him before exhaling slowly. His gaze drifted back to the photograph on the table.
A relative…?
He closed his eyes for a moment.
So much for hoping his relationship with Lian would be smooth. Fate, it seemed, had other plans.
He rose from the leather couch and walked into his main office, the heavy door shutting behind him with a soft click. His eyes landed on the tall stack of files sitting on his desk, reports, acquisitions, finance summaries, employee evaluations, all perfectly aligned and waiting. He raised a brow and scoffed lightly.
"Yufan is seriously rubbing off on me," he muttered with a smirk, pulling off his blazer and rolling up the sleeves of his crisp white shirt. He sat down, adjusted his chair, and got to work.
The minutes passed in silence, the only sounds being the soft rustle of paper and the occasional clack of his pen against the desk. He worked with surprising focus, almost admirable. After all, there was something satisfying about having things in control.
Once the final signature was scribbled and the last document sorted, he leaned back in his chair with a content sigh. Stretching his arms above his head, he reached for his phone with an almost boyish eagerness. His fingers flew across the screen, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he typed.
Yifan: Lian Lian, should I come to your office? I miss you.
He stared at the screen, his heart oddly light. A part of him already anticipated her response.
A notification buzzed almost immediately.
Lian: What?! NO. I'm at work.
He grinned, thumb already hovering over the keyboard.
Yifan: Yufan won't mind. I'll be quiet.
Another reply came just as fast.
Lian: NO.
He dropped the phone on the desk dramatically and let out an exasperated sigh.
"Why is she so business-oriented?" he muttered, raking a hand through his hair. "Can't she act like a love-struck woman for once?"
But there was no real frustration in his voice, only a fond, helpless kind of longing. She was dedicated, focused, fiercely responsible. All the things he adored and all the things that made her maddeningly hard to tease.
Still, he picked up his phone again, tapping out one more message with a quiet chuckle.
Yifan: Fine. I'll just suffer in silence then. Alone. Heartbroken. Neglected.
He sent it with dramatic flair and leaned back in his chair, eyes still on the screen, waiting… hoping… wondering if she might cave, even just a little.
But she didn't.
He laughed to himself.
"Cold woman," he murmured. "But she's mine."
And with that thought warming him more than coffee ever could, he returned to his day.